My September 2016 Photo of the Month is Gray Reflecting Moment, an image made at Hospitals Reef in La Jolla during a dark but beautiful morning.
Gray Reflecting Moment Background
Hospitals Reef is one of the most popular photo locations in San Diego and La Jolla. This location is extremely well known for sunsets. The potholes are such a draw that people have been known to bring buckets of water to fill them if the tide was too low. My friend Alex Kunz and I decided to shoot it in the morning instead. With a healthy marine layer, we had conditions that are very familiar in the Spring and Autumn to San Diego residents.
Indeed, there were very few people around, especially because it was a little chilly with the onshore flow being seasonally thick. I wanted to make this feeling more intense with my imagery. I used a neutral density filter to create a long exposure. When I was processing at home, I intentionally created a cold and gloomy horizon. I sought to balance with a warm and sharp foreground of the potholes. I like the effect. Sometimes, to capture a feeling, your processing requires a little exaggeration. You can create an evocative image without getting carried away.
It is difficult to make an image here that is unique. I hope I came up with a photograph that doesn’t looks like all of the other sunsets! Even for the locations that have become a bit of a cliche, there are ways you can create new and unique perspectives. Trying to do something “different” is what drives so many artists. There is plenty of room to interpret even the most over-photographed locations.
As always, I thank you very much for reading, and I hope you enjoy the image.
Further Viewing
Photos of the Month Portfolio Gallery
T.M. Schultze is a San Diego-based photographer, traveller, and writer. He writes, photographs, and draws things of the outdoors that have inspired humans for thousands of years. He co-authored the Photographer’s Guide to Joshua Tree Park which can be purchased here.